Automatic railway-car-coupling device.



E. GR ESCIMBENI.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY CAB. COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1912.

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Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

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AUTOMATIC RAILWAY CAB. COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

Wzizzesses ETTORE CRESCIMBENI, OF TERNI, ITALY.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-CAR-COUPLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

Application filed May 23, 1912. Serial No. 699,203.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ETroRE CRESCIMBENI, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Terni, Italy, (whose post-office address is Barriera Cornelio Tacito, Terni, Italy,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway-Gar-Coupling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic car couplers and has for its object to provide an improved and useful device of this character.

Each coupler head comprises male and female members rigidly connected side by side so that the male and female members of the coupler head on one car engage the female and male members respectively of the coupler head of the adjacent car.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the inner face of a male member and a complementary female member of engaging coupler heads, the members nearest the front of the picture being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of engaging coupler heads in coupled position, the engaging male and female members furthest from the front of the picture being removed. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the heads ready to drop in position of rest, the position of one of the removed members being indicated in dotted lines. And Fig. 4k is a side elevation of the complete device, showing the heads uncoupled and in their position of rest.

Each coupler head comprises a male member A and a female member B rigidly joined together by a double dove-tailed key 1'. The member B is provided with a tapered head 6 provided with a shoulder b, which head may be received in the cavity 30 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The member B is provided with a cross-bar b in the central recess 6 and on which is fulcrumed the hook C adapted to engage against the shoulder b with its hooked end 0 passing through the slot h. To the rear of each hook C is provided a slot f in the member B, in which is guided a block E adapted to be pressed upon the lug e of the hook C by the pressure of the lever F pivoted at f under the action of the weight F. This pressure of the block E tends to move the hooked end 0 into engagement with the shoulder 12 after which the block E slides between the lug e and the upper part of the slot f and holds the hook C locked.

In order to raise the heads from the position of rest (Fig. 4:) to position for coupling (Fig. l) toggle links H, H are provided having a recess at the free end for engaging the cross-pins a on the coupler heads, and mounted at the inner end on the shaft L operated by the collapsible handles M. When a handle M is turned so as to break the lever H, H mounted on said shaft is turned back, the lever I strikes a pawl 11, on the lever Z fulcrumed on the draw hook e, and causes said pawl to engage the toothed sector Gr connected by the chain m to the lever F, continued movement of the pawl n and lever Z forcing the sector to draw back the block E and release the hook C and permit the disengagement of shoulder b from the end 0, permitting the heads to be uncoupled and to swing on the draw hooks 5 to the position of Fig. 4;. The shaft L is supported by the cast steel supports N bolted or riveted to the frame of the car, while the arms 0 fixed to the shaft limit its rotation.

The operation of the above described coupling device is as follows: When two or more cars are to be coupled the devices are raised by operating the toggle-links H from the side of the vehicle by handles M until the coupling devices are brought into the position ready for coupling shown in Fig. l, whereupon the cars being pushed together, even with a gentle shock, the tapered end of member A of each coupler head slides on the curved inner surfaces 9 of the cavity of member B until it strikes pawl q at the inner end of the cavity causing it to rotate hook C until the latter is arrested by meet-- ing member A, the coupling thus being effected automatically owing to the shoulder b and 0 engaging each other. To insure the stability of the coupling the block E is interposed between the lug e of member O and the top part of slot f. Also the advancement of block E is effected automatically by the counterweighted lever F. When the coupling has been completed, the car being still at rest, there is a distance of about 20 millimeters between the opposite impact faces of the buffer heads. This distance however does no harm because the now existing draw bar is slightly modified by the present invention so as to act also for buifing, this modification being necessary because if the bufiing action takes place on of a revolution.

the buffer before acting on the central devices the latter would be unable to advance so far as is needed for obtaining their coupling. Furthermore by thus modifying the drawbar the advantag is obtained that the tension of the spring may be easily adjusted after its original elasticity is partly diminished, and the further advantage of increasing the efliciency of buffing in case of heavy shocks, because when the spring is compressed for 20 millimeters, which is the distance between the impactfaces of the buffer heads, the buffers also become operative immediately. The automatic coupling may be effected from either side of the car by one of the handles M by a single operator without any risk for the safety of the latter, with comparatively small effort and great rapidity. On the shaft L, which, all of the elements necessary for operation are placed so that the said shaft may be said to be the meter of all the operation movements.

The operation of raising theiapparatus is effected by imparting of a revolution to one of the handles M from down upward, while for uncoupling, the operation is reversed. For economy of space and in order to prevent strangers from tampering with handles M the latter are of a collapsible construction. Uncoupling, as has been said, is effected by rotating one of the handles M from up downward for about one quarter Lever Z thereby rotates the toothed sector C which in turn draws the arm of the co-unterweighted lever F by chain at and shifts the slide E so as to disengage it from the hook C. The counterweight f in rotating strikes under the lug e of member C assisting the latter in being disengaged from the claw of member A and dropping down, whereupon nncou pling will be completed and the cars may start. In the case of mixed (old and new) draw gears the coupling and uncoupling operations are effected by first coupling the hooks as usual and then introducing the under-hook of the old device into the hook of member D of the new device. Coupling, in turn, is effected by the reverse operation.

I claim:

1. In an automatic car coupler the combination of a pivoted female member having a tapered cavity; a pivoted male member having a tapered and shouldered head adapted to be received by said cavity; a hook pivoted on the female member and adapted to engage the shoulder of the male member and provided with a rear lug; a sliding block adapted to pass between said female member and said lug to lock the hook; a toothed sector connected with the block to cause the latter to slide; a crossshaft; toggle links thereon for engaging and lowering or raising said members; means on the cross-shaft for shifting said segment; and means for operating the shaft.

2. In an automatic car coupler the combination of a pivoted female member having a tapered cavity; a pivoted male member having a tapered and shouldered head adapted to be received by said cavity; a hook pivoted on the female member and adapted to engage the shoulder of the male member and provided with a rear lug; a sliding block adapted to pass between said female member and said lug to lock the hook; a toothed sector connected with the block to cause the latter to slide; a crossshaft; toggle links thereon for engaging and lowering or raising said members; means on the cross shaft for shifting said segment; collapsible handles on the shaft; means for limiting'the movement of the shaft; and a pivoted crank interposed between the tapered head and the female member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ETTORE CRESCIMBENI.

Witnesses Dnnao NARDONI, AOI-IILLE SABBICTIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

